This 25-year-old Newcastle United ace has once again proven to be the best signing of Mike Ashley’s era – Agreed?

Newcastle United Opinion: Ayoze Perez has been the best signing of the Mike Ashley era at Tyneside

Ayoze Perez netted his first ever hat-trick in the Premier League as Newcastle United stormed past Southampton with a 3-1 scoreline at home to move 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

The 25-year-old Spaniard also became the first Newcastle player to score three goals or more in a game since Goerginio Wijnaldum scored 4 goals against Norwich City in the Premier League in 2015.

Newcastle were looking for their second win on a trot after a 1-0 victory over Leicester City in their previous outing and Perez ensured that the Magpies had the perfect start to the game. The Spaniard pulled off a clinical finish from a very tight angle to put the visitors in the front in the 27th minute.

He soon doubled the advantage for the home side with a little bit of help from Salomon Rondon, making an aggressive run into the box and stretching to get his feet on the Venezuelan’s cross from the left. Perez’s brace within a space of just 4 minutes put Newcastle in a strong position to seal all three points.

Although the Saints came out with a point to prove in the second half and Mario Lemina pulled one back for the visitors, it was once again Perez who had the final say with just four minutes of regulation time remaining.

The Spaniard diverted Matt Ritchie’s diving header on target and completed his hat-trick, hitting the 10-goal mark in the Premier League for the first time in his career since his move to the north-east of England from Spanish second division club Tenerife back in 2014.

And in doing so, he once again reminded the fans at Tyneside what a bargain he has proven himself to be for the club.

This wasn’t the first instance in the season when Perez came to the fore to hand Newcastle all three points. He came under criticism earlier in the season due to his failure to make an impact but he has certainly made a lot of difference in the second half of the season.

The Spaniard scored two goals and assisted Rondon to inspire a remarkable comeback at home in the 3-2 victory over Everton last month, as the Magpies defied all odds to claim three points after going two goals down.

Signed from Spanish second-tier outfit Tenerife for a measly £1.5 million back in 2014, Perez arrived at Tyneside as a 20-year-old with little identity under then manager Alan Pardew.

He has progressed through leaps and bounds over the course of his five years at the club and has established himself as one of the most consistent performers at St.James’ Park. He pledged his loyalty to the club even when they were relegated from the Premier League and he then went on to play a key role in their promotion-winning campaign in the Championship as well.

Perez has accumulated 46 goals and 17 assists from 192 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, returns which are quite exceptional given that the club has gone through a lot of transitions during the period. Rondon has stolen much of the limelight with his performances this season but Perez continues to be a firm fan favourite at Tyneside.

However, the Spaniard cast doubts over his long-term future at Newcastle moments after netting his first hat-trick in the 3-1 victory over Newcastle, according to Chronicle Live.

He has kept the door open to an exit in the summer to enhance his chances of playing at the senior international level for Spain and the departure of Perez would be a devastating blow to the club’s hopes of making it to the top half of the Premier League once again.

It has been quite apparent from Mike Ashley’s stance in the transfer market over the years that he is obsessed with the resale value of players. Newcastle, though, have used that policy to their advantage at times by bringing in strikers like Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse, both of whom had a successful spell at Tyneside.

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Perez, however, has been the pick of the signings that Newcastle have made in the past decade or so, and they should hold fight tooth and nail to hold on to him for the foreseeable future.

He is just entering his prime as a wonderful all-around attacker and his presence could play a key factor for the Magpies in the coming seasons.